by Fellow Kent L. Richland "Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly." .-*& Edward Albee, The Zoo Story It is the dream of every appellate lawyer to argue before the United States Supreme Court. The dream also usually features the post-argument advocate pocketing his hands in a long overcoat as he walks down the front steps of the Court, his frosty breath preceding him as he approaches a bank of microphones to address the clamoring media. I lived that dream. But as perfect as its realization was, getting there involved some of the most difficult-and some of the most enlightening - moments of my professional life. The Marshall Case Our firm was brought into Marshall v. Marshall by, among other things, imprisoning J. Howard, just after the Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles had making misrepresentations to him, and transferring awarded our client - debtor in possession Vickie property against his wishes. Lynn Marshall, better known by her professional After summarily adjudicating the defamation name Anna Nicole Smith - a judgment for $479 claim in Vickie's favor, the Bankruptcy Court million in compensatory and punitive damages. The proceeded to try the tortious interference claim. outlines of the story are known even to non-tabloid- It concluded that Pierce had tortiously interfered TV fans. Vickie is the surviving widow of billionaire with J. Howard's attempt to set up a trust for Texas oilman J. Howard Marshall II. When he died, Vickie consisting of what J. Howard called "new J. Howard's will and trust left nothing to her and his community"- half the increase in the value of his entire estate to his son Pierce. While the estate was assets during the time of their marriage, which being probated in Texas, Vickie filed for bankruptcy the court valued at $449 million. The court also in Los Angeles. awarded $25 million in punitive damages because In the bankruptcy action, Pierce filed a defamation of Pierce's "outrageous" conduct. claim against Vickie, alleging she had falsely accused The Bankruptcy Court judgment was appealed to the him in the press of forgery, fraud and overreaching District Court. But under the bankruptcy rules, the to gain control of his father's assets. Vickie asserted Bankruptcy Court can enter a final judgment only truth as a defense, as well as a counterclaim for if the matter is "core." Otherwise, the Bankruptcy tortious interference with an intended inter vivos Court's findings are reviewed de novo by the district gift. The counterclaim alleged Pierce had prevented court. Here, the District Court determined the J. Howard from giving her a gift while he was alive matter was "non-core" and therefore did a de novo review that included presentation by both parties unlikely to reverse in the absence of unequivocal of additional live testimony and other evidence. error. So when I showed up for oral argument, I was Key items of evidence before the District Court looking forward to an interesting and challenging were a memo by J. Howard's lawyer memorializing discussion of the law and the facts. J. Howard's instructions to prepare the trust for Instead, I encountered the most difficult argument Vickie's benefit, and the lawyer's billing records of my 30 years of appellate practice. The questions showing that the trust was actually drafted. (The trust focused almost exclusively on the probate exception never saw the light of day after Pierce got lawyers issue, and the court was openly skeptical of every with allegiance to him to take over his father's argument I made. One judge commented that it was affairs.) The evidence also showed that Pierce had "tricky asking [me] questions." hired a private detective to follow J. Howard after his marriage to Vickie to ensure that he could not make Immediately after the argument, I felt certain we other arrangements to give her the intended gift. had lost. But as the weeks and months passed after the argument with no opinion issuing, a little hope After hearing all the evidence, the District Court crept into my heart. After a year, I thought, "Well, adopted and supplemented the Bankruptcy Court maybe they've read the briefs and the cases, and they findings. The District Court valued the intended are seeing their initial impressions were wrong." trust at "only" $44.3 million. However, finding that Nevertheless I can't say I was really surprised when, Pierce's multiple forgeries and frauds were "even fourteen months after the oral argument, the panel worse" than the Bankruptcy Court had found, and issued an opinion fully adopting Pierce's position in light of the "overwhelming" evidence of Pierce's and holding the probate exception was a bar to "willfulness, maliciousness, and fraud," the District federal jurisdiction. Court awarded an equal amount in punitive damages, for a judgment of about $88.6 million. Certiorari The Ninth Circuit We immediately began to explore certiorari, delving far deeper into the history and literature of the probate Pierce appealed to the Ninth Circuit. There his exception than the expedited briefing schedule had fortunes improved dramatically. permitted. We found its roots in early Supreme In his 160-page brief, Pierce challenged virtually every Court cases, and we discovered that the Court's factual finding made by the District Court and raised last opinion on the subject, in 1946, contained a number of other arguments, including invoking an highly ambiguous language. Several law review arcane doctrine known as the "probate exception" articles described how the ensuing confusion in the to federal jurisdiction. Under that doctrine, Pierce circuits had resulted in multiple splits of authority argued, the federal courts lacked jurisdiction over - indeed, in the 1960s, the ALI had given up trying Vickie's claim because it was within the exclusive to formulate the probate exception discussion in the jurisdiction of the Texas probate court. Restatement of Jurisdiction. I felt we had the better side of that and Pierce's other In other words, we had a classic cert issue. And while arguments. However, I've been an appellate lawyer we were very proud of our cert petition - which long enough to know that you can lose any appeal. both pointed out the circuit splits and suggested an Nevertheless, as oral argument approached, I was approach to the probate exception that harmonized confident that in light of the devastating factual all the Supreme Court case law - we knew the length findings against Pierce, the Ninth Circuit was of the odds. And we were also concerned that the ?—:•-•< Representing Anna Nicole [continued] sheer notoriety of the case and our client would were much more consonant with our position; since work against us. I would be in Washington that weekend at an AAAL meeting, I made an appointment for the following Needless to say, when Marshall v. Marshall was Monday, hoping to dissuade her from supporting announced as one of the three cases on which cert our opponent. had been granted after the Court's summer recess, we were elated. The fact that the vote was 8-0 (before The meeting went better than I had expected. the Roberts confirmation) made it all the sweeter. After our meeting, the ASG said her office would consider filing a brief supporting Vickie, although Media Attention and Merits Briefing she could make no guarantees. But less than a week Despite its fame, while we were in the Ninth Circuit remained before our brief (and hence any supporting our case got the same media treatment as just about amicus brief) was due, and she explained that if every other appellate matter-it was ignored. But the Government were to file a brief in our support, something about the juxtaposition of Anna Nicole it would need at least another week to prepare the Smith and the United States Supreme Court changed brief. I quickly arranged for a week's extension. In that. I was contacted for an interview by virtually less than two weeks, the ASG mastered the complex all the major (and issues and, to our delight, many minor) media filed a remarkably outlets. Few had In less than two weeks, comprehensive brief interest in the issue supporting Vickie's before the Court- the ASG mastered the position. the most pressing question seemed to complex issues and, to our The entire pre-argument be whether my client process was an education would attend oral delight, filed a remarkably in United States Supreme argument. One of Court practice. Early on I the most prominent comprehensive brief learned of the enormous Supreme Court assistance offered by reporters assured me supporting Vickie's position. the Supreme Court that she normally Clerk's office, giving it wouldn't cover a case like this one, but the grant of a deserved reputation cert gave her no choice. Most of the media portrayed as the most helpful clerk's office in the nation. In the case as a will contest, having no appreciation for particular, the Merits Clerk acts as the Court's interface the fact that it was a tort action. with counsel on all cases the Court has accepted for review. She is familiar with the procedural posture We busily began to prepare our opening brief on the of each case and can give counsel an idea when merits. About a week and a half before it was due, argument will be scheduled, grant extensions of I received a call from an Assistant Solicitor General. time for merits briefing, ensure that the Court has She explained that Pierce's lawyers had asked the the correct record, arrange for counsel to attend oral Government for its support, but it was the SG's argument in other cases, and answer the myriad other policy to contact the other side before making that questions that inevitably arise during the pre-oral decision.